Over 100 people attended the Tourism Fernie AGM & Industry Event on March 31, 2026. 

Held annually, the Tourism in Fernie event brings together local and area business leaders, government officials and non-profit organizations that are involved in the local tourism sector. The event focuses on providing updates on Tourism Fernie's past year of activities and results, plans for 2026, its official annual general meeting, industry keynote guest speaker(s) to support learning and strategic planning, and also networking opportunities.

Watch the AGM Video:

This year's event was once again held at Bay Leaf Indian Fusion Restaurant at Fernie Golf Course, and began with official welcomes and opening remarks from Mayor Nic Milligan and Tourism Fernie Chair Reto Barrington.

A presentation from the Tourism Fernie Management Team: EO Jikke Gyorki; Corien Sieders, Manager, Destination Development & Management; Brona Kekenakova, Marketing Manager; and Christine Grimble, Media/Travel Trade & Projects Manager; detailed the past year's projects and achievements and offered insights into the year ahead.

This was followed by the official business of the AGM:

Business was conducted swiftly by Reto Barrington, Chair of Tourism Fernie, who also presented the financial statements.

Graeme Nunn of Rockies Law, as the Electoral Officer, explained the board seat nomination and process, noting that the organisation had received less nominations than the number of seats available on the board, and therefore no election was required this year.

Approved 2026 - 2027 Tourism Fernie Board of Directors:

MRDT Accommodator Seats (5):

• Reto Barrington – Fernie RV Resort
• Jeremiah Pauw – Fernie Fox Hotel
• Jon Ward – Red Tree Lodge
• Veronique Roy – Snow Valley Lodging & Annex House
• VACANT

Non- Accommodator/Member-at-Large Seats (4):

• Juliana Bower – Bower Builders
• Alan D Young – Personal Real Estate Corporation
• Soranne Florea – Island Lake Lodge Catskiing - Summer Activities & F&B
• Victoria Flemming – The Pub & Bistro at Park Place Lodge

Reto Barrington made closing remarks:

• Thanking departing board member Andrew Hayden who served as Chair and Vice Chair during his tenure on the board.
• Reminding the accommodators of the importance of the monthly reporting of accommodation numbers.
• Noting the potential need to reinstate membership fees to maintain an accurate record of the Society’s membership.

During lunch, Keynote presentations were made by:

• Tim Reid - Orange Crow Leadership & David Wittman - GGA Architecture
  • Tim & David outlined the Sport Tourism Assessment Report and talked about opportunities and challenges that Fernie faces for the future
• Ted Morton - All Mountain Consulting & Project Management
  • Ted his consultation work for the Fernie & Elk Valley Regional Trails Strategy & Framework

Additional Industry updates were provided by:

• Brad Parsell, CEO - Kootenay Rockies Tourism
• Amy Thompson - Basecamp Resorts - Everwild Fernie
• Andrew Cockburn - The Royal Hotel
• And by Reto Barrington, Chair of the Tourism Fernie Board of Directors

Additional Announcements & Recognitions

EO Jikke Gyorki then thanked everyone for attending, and Bayleaf Indian Fusion for accommodating the event, noting some member and community achievements:

• Fernie Wilderness Adventures celebrating 40 years
• Fernie Alpine Resort’s Volunteer Hosts on 40 years of service to the ski community
• Fernie Ghostriders for making it to the 2nd round of the playoffs
• Our many athletes excelling around the world at the Olympics, World Championship & World Cup events and more
• The Royal Canadian Legion Fernie Branch #36 on their 100th Anniversary
• Members launching new businesses or developments, including:
  • Coal Creek Camping & RV opening this summer
  • Best Western Fernie Mountain Lodge expansion
  • White Birch Cafe & Bistro at Red Tree Lodge by Elk Valley Catering
  • New Consignment Store by Gearhub
  • Spa901’s New 901 Clinical Aesthetics
• And noted some of the big events coming this summer, including the ST3 & Ride + Roast, new events from Anything Goes Event Series, 2026 Saratoga Cup Provincial Rugby Finals and much more!

Alan Young thanked Jikke for her hard work and dedication.

• Flowers for the event were purchased from The Green Petal.
• Gifts for the guest speakers were purchased from The Fernie Arts Co-op, Rooftop Coffee Roasters & The Fernie Visitor Information Centre.
• Door prizes were purchased by Tourism Fernie to support local businesses. This year, these were purchased from: Ski Base, The Brickhouse & Sushiwood.

Typically, a free casual social event is held at a second location following the AGM. This year the event was scheduled April 23rd, to coincide with National Tourism Week, April 20 - 24th, 2026:

TOURISM IN FERNIE INDUSTRY SOCIAL
Celebrating National Tourism Week
Thursday, April 23rd, 2026
4 - 6:30 PM
The Fernie Taphouse, 691 1st Ave
Free to attend - max 4 people per business/organisation
SIGN UP ONLINE UNTIL APRIL 20TH

ARCHIVES of Past AGM Events:

2025 AGM

2024 AGM

2023 AGM